praunegger



(No Model.) 2 sheets-sheet 1.

F. PRAUNEGGER- FOLDING KNIFE, FORK, 0R SPOON.

lagented Aug. 17, 1897.

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(No Model.) 2 sheets-sheet 2.

F. PRAUNEGGER.

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l tra Rrdv'mndpmungfr UNITED STATES PMIENTI Fries.

FERDINAND PRAUNEGGER, OF GRAZ, AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.

FOLDING KNIFE, FORK, OR SPOON.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 588,174, dated August 17', 189'7. i

Application led November 17, 1896. Serial No. 612,482. (No model.) Patented in Germany Julie 15, 1894, No. 81,605; in Hungary July 2, 1894, No. 710; in Austria July 3,1894,No.44/2,903, in France November 7, 1894, No. 242,692, and

in England April l, 1895, No. 6,677.

`have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Knives, Forks, or Spoons, (for which I have obtained Letters Patent in Austria, dated July 3, 1894, No.

44/2,903; in I-Iungary, dated July 2, 1894,

No. 710; in Germany, dated June 15, 1894, No. 81,605; in France, dated November 7, 1894, No. 242,692, and in Great Britain, dated April 1, 1895, No. 6,677;) and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will en able others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specication.

This invention relates to improvements in foldingimplements, such as knives, forks, and spoons, which may either be used alone or united to forma luncheon-service suitable for use at picnics or the like.

It has for its object an arrangement of these implements whereby without the employment of 'any springcatch the same is held fast either in the folded position or in the fullyopened position, while at the same time in the latter case the unforeseen snapping-to or closing of the knife-blade or of the fork or spoon head is prevented by astop arrangement being brought into action.` This is attained by the constituent elements of the said implements-viz., the knife, fork, -or spoonbeing united to the handle so as to pivot by means of a bolt or pin sliding in a longitudinal groove or slot, so that the folding or closing can only occur when the bolt or pin is at one end of the slot or groove, while in the open position the implement when slipped on the bolt is prevented from rotating or folding and is held in position by'meansof a small spring-plate pressing against it so as to prevent that sliding motion which'is indispensable before the turning or folding action can take place. Thus this latter sliding motion must necessarily be effected by hand, whereupon the said implement can be folded or closed'.

In the accompanying drawings, Figures 1, l, and 1b represent a folding knife provided with these improvements respectively in opened or folded positions and in a cross-sectional view on the line c as, Fig. 1a. Figs. 2, 2a, and 2b show a folding spoon respectively in opened position, in rear and in side view, and in folded position. Figs. 3, 8, and-3b represent a folding fork in the same respec tive positions as those shown in Fig. l. Figs.

4, 4.a, and 4b represent, on a larger scale, the articulation between the handle and the blade of the implement in their respective positions when the implement is opened and when it is folded. Fig. 4c shows, in an analogous manner, the articulation between the handle and the blade of the implement when a catchspring is made use of. Fig. 5 shows in aA lateral View a combined implement or service in which the fork and the spoon are arranged eXtensible in the handle of the knife. Fig. 5 shows a cross-sectionA of the parts of the implement when they are shoved into each other. Figs. 6, 7, S, and 9 represent a coinbination implement or service in which the fork and the knife are articulated to each other and can be iixed in their folded position on the outer side of the knife-handle.

As can be seen from Figs. 1 to 3, the knifeblade A or the spoon-head B or fork-head O are provided vwith a longitudinal slot a in thetangs, and the handles A B O' are provided with a pinA b, sliding within that slot a which has substantially semicylindrical terminals, said tangs having a like terminal, as shown. ,'The said pin b passes through a small sition of the pin the blade or head of the implement can easily be turned around the pin and opened or refolded at will.

After the implement has been opened (during which operation as well as during the folding operation a slight resistance must be overcome, owing to the pressure of the steel plate c) the blade or head A, B, or C of the implement is pushed back on the pin b along the guiding abutment or fillet d or along the rigid back Aof the handle in the direction of the free end of the handle until the pin Z) has reached the otherthat is to say, the upper--end of the slot, whereby the implement is secured fast against the back of the handle or the guidingfillet d in such a manner that as long as the implement remains in this position the folding of the same cannot take place. At the same time the pressure of the steel plate c prevents an accidental displacement of the pin h-that is to say, a casual shoving out of the blade or head of the implement-so that an accidental unintentional refolding of the implement is absolutely impossible.

The folding of the implement can only be effected after the blade or head of the same has been pulled out by hand so far that the pin b has reached the bottom end of the slot.

As a matter of course the described arrangement of parts may also be modified in such a manner that, contrarily, the pin will be affixed to the blade or head of the implement and the slot will be arranged in the handle of the same. In the same manner the guidingfillet d, intended to limit the motion of the implement, may-for instance, in the arrangement of the spoon-be attached to the head portion B of the spoon instead of being attached to the handle. In those cases when a resilient or springy catch-spring d is made use of (see Fig. 4) the spring replaces the rigid guiding abutment or fillet or the back d of the handle. In this case the bottom end of the longitudinal slot a will not be arranged concentrically to the bottom end of the blade or head of the implement, (as is the case in the arrangement previously described,) but will be arranged somewhat above the center LX of the curvature of this bottom end. This arrangement has for result that after the blade has been pulled forward until the pin b bears against the bottom part of the slot d and the blade is being turned for the purpose of folding the implement the catch-spring is somewhat pushed to the outward and thus produces the folding or snapping-in of the blade.

The spring d' should be of sufficient strength so as to be able to prevent an accidental closing of the implement when the same is open and the pin b is bearing against the upper end of the slot.

In the combined implement or service with separable constituent parts shown in Figs. 5 and 5 the arrangement is essentially the same as in those shown in Figs. l to 4, with the only difference that the handles of the spoon and of the fork are slipped into the handle of the knife, and when the implement is being folded the head of the spoon folds against the exterior of the knife-handle, while the head of the fork and the blade of the knife are both arranged so as to fold up'inside the knife-handle.

In the arrangement of the combined service shown in Figs. 6 to E) the fork C is connected with the spoon B by means of a pin b in the manner described above. The fork portion and the spoon portion can be folded on each other and then affixed in a folded condition to the exterior of the handle A of the knife A. For this purpose the pin b, which is affixed to the spoon and passes through the longitudinal slot a of the fork, is extended outward and is provided with a small head or stud. The fork portion is provided with a pin f, equally having a small head, and 011 the handle A of the knife there are arranged two longitudinal slots a a2, terminating at one of their ends by circular recesses.

As can be seen from Fig. 9, the parts B and C, folded together, are fastened to the knifehandle in such a manner that the pinsfand b of these parts B and C are inserted into the circular enlargements of the slots CL and a2, whereupon the said parts are fixed by moving them toward the narrow portion of the said slots.

In order that when the parts B and C are in their folded position the pin b could not be accidentally displaced lengthwise within the slot a of the fork portion, the spoon portion B is provided with a small projection or wart g, which engages in a groove g of the fork portion C.

The slits a' a2 can also be modified in such a way that one of them or both are arranged in the manner usually adopted for bayonetclutches, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 6, whereby the accidental disengagement of the parts B C is prevented.

I claiml. In a handled i1nplement,the combination with the implement provided with a substantially semicylindrical tang, a guide and locking-abutment on the handle of the implement on which abutment said tang has perpetual bearing, a longitudinal slot in one of the elements of the implement and a pin traversing said slot secured to the other element whereby the implement is locked in an open or closed position by said abutment through the displacement of the pin in its slot, for the purpose set forth.

2. Inahandledimple1nent,the combination with the implement provided with a substantially semicylindrical tang, a handle, and a slot-and-pin connection between said tang and handle, said slot in the longitudinal plane of one of said parts and a resilient or springy guide and locking-abutment on which said tang has perpetual bearing, for the purpose set forth.

3. In a handled implement, the combination IOO IIO

with the implement provided with a substantially semicylindrical tang, ahandle, and a slot-and-pin connection between said tang and handle, said slot in the longitudinalplane of oner of said parts, and a guide and lockingabutment on which said tang has perpetual bearing, and a-friction-plate interposed between the tang and its handle at the pivotal connection between the two, for the purpose set forth.

4. In a handled implement, the combination with the implement provided with a subtantially semicircular tang, a handle, and a slot-and-pin connection between the two, said -slot having substantially semicylindrical terminalsand lying in the longitudinal plane of one of the parts of the implement, of a guide and locking-abutment on one of said parts, on which the tang has perpetual bearing, for the purpose set forth.

5. In a handled implement, the combination with the implement provided with a subtantially semicircular tang, a handle, and a slot-and-pin connection between the two, said slot having substantially semicircular terminals drawn from centers above but in the plane of the center for the rounded end of the tang of the implement; of a resilient or springy guide and locking-abutment on one of the parts of theimplement, on which abutment the aforesaid tang has perpetual bearment when folded or unfolded, and means for connecting the said fork and spoon when folded with the knife-handle, for the purpose set forth.

7. The combination with a foldable knife the handle of which is provided with buttonhole-slots ct a2; of a fork and spoon, a headed pivot-pin pivotally connecting the tangs of said fork and spoon, the headed portion of the pin projecting therefrom, means for preventing accidental displacement of the fork and spoon when open or folded, andaheaded stud f projecting from the fork, said headed stud and headed pivot-pin adapted to engage the buttonhole-slots in the knife-handle when the fork and spoon are folded upon each other, for the purpose set forth.

8. The combination with a foldable knife the handle of which is provided with buttonhole-slot-s a a2, of a fork and spoon, said fork provided with a headed stud f and a nick or groove g', said spoon provided with a stud or wart g adapted to enter the aforesaid groove when the fork and spoon are folded, aheaded pivot-pin b, pivotally connecting the fangs of said fork and spoon, said pin b and stud f adapted to engage the buttonhole-slots d2 a' respectively when the fork and spoon are closed, and means for preventing accidental displacement of said parts when unfolded, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

' FERDINAND PRAUNEGGER.

Witnesses:

KARL ROCH, HARRY BELMONT. 

